As a former Maine lawmaker, I’ve always fought for the core values that define Maine’s economy: fairness, environmental stewardship and economic opportunity. But watching the recent actions of the majority on the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee, I can’t help but ask — do they really understand the damage they’ve just set in motion?

The proposal they’re advancing (LD 1777) — gutting Maine’s net energy billing (NEB) program and retroactively slashing benefits for community solar customers and developers — represents a staggering new direction. The public never even got the chance to weigh in on the final proposal since there were last-minute amendments added. It’s a move driven by the false narrative that solar is to blame for rising electric bills. It isn’t.

The real reasons for electric rate increases are soaring natural gas prices triggered by global events and the costs of recovery from extreme weather caused by burning fossil fuels. On the other hand, solar is one of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to get energy onto the grid, especially in a time of urgent climate need and increasing energy demand.

I’m sounding this alarm because what’s happening here isn’t just a tweaking of a program. It risks Maine’s entire clean energy future. It dismantles a system that has helped kickstart our renewable energy plan, created thousands of clean energy jobs and attracted significant investment to our state.

The same investors supporting Maine’s distributed solar industry — small-scale, community-based and accessible to all Mainers — are the ones also backing our large-scale solar, wind and battery storage projects. Sending them a message that Maine is willing to change the rules retroactively, pulling the rug out from under them, will echo far beyond solar.

The justification — that this is about protecting ratepayers — misses the mark. At the very same time this proposal slashes compensation for solar customers and undercuts businesses, another bill is advancing to subsidize Maine businesses on the backs of those very ratepayers. The contradiction is impossible to ignore.

These deep cuts to the NEB program don’t just hurt businesses and workers — they jeopardize our ability to meet Maine’s climate goals. If we take solar off the table and signal to the renewable industry that Maine is too risky for investment, how exactly do we expect to achieve the renewable energy targets that we all support?

And let’s not forget: the changes being proposed are retroactive. They would rip up existing NEB agreements with Mainers and businesses who made good-faith investments based on policies this very Legislature created. It leaves customers and developers alike in limbo, with no clear transition to the so-called “successor” program. The gap is so wide that many businesses will be forced to pull back, lay off workers or abandon projects entirely.

And that’s not all. The majority on the committee has voted for an unprecedented “grid tax” on some clean energy generators. This decision is based on a report still under review and under active litigation at the Maine Public Utilities Commission. The result? Community solar projects may be forced to dump subscribers and reduce the very savings these projects were meant to deliver to Maine customers.

All of this is happening while the federal government is preparing to scale back tax credits and incentives for renewable energy. Instead of stepping up to protect Maine’s clean energy progress and seizing the opportunity to build a resilient, affordable energy future, Maine lawmakers are doubling down on policies that will drive investment and jobs out of state.

Before it’s too late, I urge Maine legislators in the House and Senate to think hard about what they’re about to do. Is this really the legacy we want to leave for Maine’s energy future?